On January 8, 2025, the experts of CoEHAR organized and coordinated an important seminar focusing on nicotine pouches, a new oral product recently introduced to the Italian market but already widespread in many countries worldwide. The event was held at the Aula Magna of the Biological Tower of the University of Catania.
The event, titled “THR PRODUCTS: IN DEPTH NICOTINE POUCHES AND FDA APPROVED CYTOTOXICITY TESTING“, attracted an audience of students, researchers, and academics interested in innovation in tobacco harm reduction and laboratory research on combustion-free products.
The seminar was moderated by Dr. Sonja Rust, project manager of CoEHAR’s Replica project and expert in scientific research methodologies, who guided the discussion and coordinated the contributions of various speakers. Among the topics addressed, particular attention was given to toxicological aspects and scientific methodology used for the analysis and evaluation of these new products.
Starting with a general overview of various reduced-risk products extensively analyzed by CoEHAR researchers, Professor Massimo Caruso, co-project leader of Replica, opened the seminar with a summary of currently available reduced-risk devices, focusing on nicotine pouches as innovative alternative for harm reduction.
He was joined by professor Rosalia Emma of CoEHAR, who delved into toxicological aspects, presenting the international guidelines on cytotoxicity testing and the battery of approved tests to assess the safety and efficacy of these products. She also emphasized the importance of adopting rigorous standards to ensure consumer protection.
Dr. Konstantinos Partsinevelos, a CoEHAR researcher involved in multiple harm reduction studies, explained the methodological approach used for the chemical analysis of new oral products, focusing on the use of UPLC (Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography), essential for evaluating and monitoring the chemical content of nicotine pouches.
At the end of the seminar, CoEHAR experts offered students and researchers a practical training session in CoEHAR laboratories at the Biological Tower, including a guided tour and practical demonstrations of specific product analyses. The coordination of the training was entrusted to Dr. Giuseppe Carota, CoEHAR researcher. This was a key moment for training new researchers and future experts in the tobacco harm reduction field, who had the opportunity to participate in laboratory activities with hands-on demonstrations and real-time assessments of the methodologies discussed during the seminar.
The seminar was a valuable opportunity to deepen knowledge about nicotine pouches and their toxicological evaluation. These are small, tobacco-free sachets that contain nicotine, flavors, and other supporting chemical substances. These products are designed to be placed between the upper lip and gum, allowing controlled nicotine release into the bloodstream through the oral mucosa. They are considered a reduced-risk alternative to traditional tobacco-based products, such as cigarettes and chewing tobacco, as they do not involve combustion or exposure to many harmful chemicals found in tobacco smoke.
This educational seminar highlighted the crucial role of scientific research in validating innovative harm-reduction tools, providing participants with concrete tools to understand the potential and challenges associated with these tobacco derived oral products.
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